Riding High: Bikepacking Peru
It's hard to recall how Peru became the plan. We could claim pictures of high Andean mountains transfixed us. Unfinished business from Mick's mountaineering days. Or imply Peru was the door to a continent we hadn t set foot on. But pinpointing a reason would imply a long-held dream. Really, it just seemed like a nice idea.
And it was! Campsites in the company of mountains, descents lasting hours, and breathtaking hike-a-bikes. Peru delivered. We first planned to ride the Peru Great Divide from bikepacking.com. But as we shared our route over dinner, a friend scanned the climbing and hiking guides on our bookshelf and pulled out a guide a forgotten 8-year-old purchase from when we first started bikepacking. The guide was read, and the plan was changed to spend the whole time riding in the Cordilleras Blanca and Huayhuash. Come and join Mick and I as we go bikepacking in Peru.
We spent a few days in Huaraz building our bikes and adjusting to the altitude before starting the Huascaran Circuit. The climb to Punta Olimpica was our first pass, a slow effort as we adapted to the altitude. The 47km climb gained about 2200 vertical metres. Currently at about 4,360m.
I'm going slow, between 4-5km/h. Danielle is doing really well, she has only just started losing her breath. My resting heart rate overnight was above 90 beats/minute Just need to make sure I take it slow to not raise my heart rate. Even talking to the camera makes me puffed. We struggled through the tunnel, swallowing carbon monoxide from earlier trucks and straining through the low visibility.
On the other side, we gulped in the view and the fresh air, and sailed 30km down to Chacas. Chacas was a delight, full of charm and good pizza. Leaving town the next morning, we hit the first gravel of the trip. Our reliable dinner of the trip was pasta, salami and cheese topped with olive oil and harissa mix- good fuel for the hills. Our routine formed Pace = super chilled. Stopping = ok.
Keep it quiet, keep it gentle. As we rode through Huascaran National Park, Chopicalqui and its icefield were shrouded in clouds as we climbed. Passing through the narrow rock notch of the Portachuelo de Llanganuco, we stopped, surrounded by peaks - we swore and gawked and put on all our layers on. Although Peru's highest mountains hid behind the clouds, the switchback descent was glorious.
We grinned as we dodged potholes, weaving down 28 hairpin turns over the first 8.5km. After staying in Yungay, we spent the day travelling toward Laguna Paron, a 32km ride with a mere 2,200 meter climb averaging 6.5%. Close to camp, we encountered a landslip, hauling bikes at weird angles. As I navigated the offset steps, my foot gave way. Suddenly, I was clinging to the top of the step with my left hand, dangling above a slide into rockfall, with the bike on top of me. Mick had stopped filming just 10 seconds earlier and ran over.
You or the bike? he asked. The bike I replied. The weight of the bike off me and a good mantle later, I wiggled onto firmer ground. We laughed at the time, but it would have been messy. The return leg over the landslip offered a different challenge, a slick ice covering, making for a cautious traverse. It's just sliding. The wheels are just sliding out. We returned for a few rest days in Huaraz to sleep, get clean and eat.
As we left, we were gifted a jar of almond butter from our hotel owner, nut butter being our usual bike-touring staple. We gratefully accepted the extra weight and put it on most meals. Most mornings were sharp and icy, but we warmed quickly in the alpine sun. Planning to ride the start of the Huayhuash loop before turning off, we met Puya Raimondii, the world's largest bromelia, endemic to the high Andes of Peru and Bolivia in scattered populations at around 4000m. Each campsite topped the previous, always quiet, always a mountain view. We made another splendid descent, this time into Huallanca.
Leaving Huallanca, we passed more Eucalypts, with the surreal smell and look of home - with various species planted throughout the Andes. By now, we felt good at altitude. 4,000m felt OK, similar to riding at sea level. Biscuits fuelled the ride, the ever-present bikepacking staple. So currently we are day two in to...
Sorry, I'm distracted by the bird. The Highlux Photography route between Huallanca and Oyon. The single track section involved quite a bit more hike-a-bike than expected. I also managed to capture my pedal on a tussock, and roll down a slope with my bike on top of me. So I'm quite sore. Bit of a rough fall.
So I'm finding the hike-a-bike quite difficult. I'm feeling the challenge of being a small person with a heavy bike. We are just trying to work out what the best thing to do is. Feeling bruised and fatigued, we decided on a graceful retreat. The plan was to return to the road that climbed from Huallanca, and then make a new plan. We backtracked, stopping to collect water from a stream.
As we filtered, a cow wandered over to watch us. Then another, then another. It felt like they were trying to tell us something. By the evening, we felt weak.
At first, we blamed the 4400m altitude at camp, or the fatigue, or the cold. But the next morning it took us 4 hours to cover 10km, moving for a few minutes, then stopping to rest. So we've been riding for about an hour and 15 minutes.
We had a day off yesterday because we were both sick. I've already stopped to go to the toilet twice. I don't think there is much chance that we will make the next camp today. So I think we are going to turn around and have another rest day so I have a toilet to get intamate with.
Backtracking to Huallanca, we were both hit with travel sickness, and spent the next few days relaying for the bathroom, sleeping, and occasionally venturing out for water and cornflakes. A new plan was schemed, and we decided to complete the rest of the Huayhuash & Puya Raimondii route. Energy returned to our bodies as we gained altitude. Back on the trail, we camped for the only time near people. Hikers on the Cordillera Huayhuash.
The area isn't a national park, and local villages have jurisdiction over certain sections, collecting a toll from passing travellers. You pay the warden; you get a receipt. We were definitely fed in Peru. In most towns, it was easy to find a meal, usually a soup, a main and a cup of tea.
Plenty of chicken. Plenty of chips. However, specific cravings had to wait. Huaraz, on the other hand, had quite a selection. And that s where we were heading next. We scored a predictably stunning campsite on our last night by riding down a dirt track off the main highway. And then it was that time already, we set off for our last day riding in Peru. And that was that.
We rolled downhill to Huaraz toward the milkshakes, and our ride in Peru was finished.
2024-10-11 02:39
